Unemployed man to serve 18 months for stealing electrical cables

The Winneba Magistrate Court has sentenced Kobina Essoun, 31, unemployed man to serve 18 months in prison for stealing electrical cables.

He was charged on two counts, being in a premise for an unlawful purpose, to commit a crime, to wit stealing, and secondly for stealing contrary to section 124 subsection 1 of Act 2960 of the Criminal Offence Act.

Essoun, a native of Winneba, pleaded guilty on count one with an explanation, but his explanation was not sustained and he was convicted and sentenced to ten months in prison.

He again pleaded guilty with an explanation on the second count but the explanation was also not sustained and he was convicted and sentenced to 8 months imprisonment to run concurrently to serve 18 months.

Narrating the facts of the case before the court presided over by Mr Isaac Apeatu, prosecution Police Inspector Peter Agbelie said the complainant of the case is Mr David Johnson, a caretaker of uncompleted story building located at Low Cost, a suburb of Winneba.

He said on 16th January, the complainant left the premises and returned around 1400 hours and met the convict at the downstairs of the building with a pair of pliers removing and cutting electrical cables that have been laid through the conduit pipes in the structure.

Inspector Agbelie said when the complainant confronted the convict but he could not give any tangible answer.

He said the complainant together with some neighbours effected a citizen’s arrest and sent the suspect to the police station.

Inspector Agbelie said when the convict was interrogated, he claimed that on that unfaithful day he was going round in search of construction work to do and after going round without getting any employment came to the uncompleted house and realized that it was not connected to electrical power.

The Prosecution said he entered and started cutting the electrical cables which were laid through conduit pipes when the complainant came and met him.

He led the police to the scene and demonstrated how he entered the building and started cutting the cables.

After investigation he was arraigned before for the court charged with the offences, the prosecution added.